[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Full-Scale North-South Missile Development War Begins

North Korea Fires Super Large Multiple Rocket Launcher... Analysis of KN-23 Modified Version for Russian Export

North and South Korea are intensifying their missile development efforts. It is analyzed that North Korea is continuing test launches to supply missiles to Russia.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 19th, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, supervised artillery unit firing drills in the western district the previous day. The report stated that the training aimed to "confirm the power and combat capability of the weapon systems through the fiery maneuvers and simultaneous firing of the 600mm multiple rocket launcher units." The agency published photos showing six super-large multiple rocket launchers firing simultaneously, hitting a target believed to be the uninhabited island 'Alseom' off the coast of Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province.

The report also mentioned that Kim presented major strategic tasks to strengthen artillery forces and complete artillery war preparations, but did not disclose specific details. The super-large multiple rocket launcher, called KN-25 by South Korean and U.S. military, is a short-range ballistic missile that North Korea claims can be equipped with tactical nuclear warheads.

Military insiders also analyze that North Korea conducted test launches of improved ballistic missiles such as the KN-23 for export to Russia. A military official said, "It may have conducted multiple test launches to demonstrate the high accuracy of short-range ballistic missiles intended for export to Russia." Experts also predict that North Korea will frequently carry out ballistic missile provocations in the future, as the political schedules of allied countries, including China's Two Sessions in March and Russia's presidential election, have all concluded.

Our military also plans to operationalize the Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile (KTSSM-I) for the first time this year. Joint South Korea-U.S. government simulation exercises and military tabletop exercises (TTX), reflecting North Korea's nuclear use scenarios, will be gradually implemented, and overseas strategic bases capable of producing and storing Korean-made weapons and ammunition for use in emergencies will be established.

According to the Ministry of National Defense's '2024 Major Policy' promotion plan announced the day before, under the plan to reinforce the Korean-style three-axis system in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats, the KTSSM-I will be operationalized for the first time this year, and the development of the Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (L-SAM) will also be completed.

The KTSSM was developed domestically after the November 2010 Yeonpyeong Island shelling to destroy North Korea's long-range artillery bases built in underground tunnels. Last year, it completed quality certification firing for mass production. The KTSSM-I, with a range of about 180 km, uses a penetrative thermobaric warhead capable of penetrating several meters underground, and boasts world-class precision with a circular error probable (CEP) of around 5 meters.